Filing cabinet for phonograph records



April 15, 1930. c. T. RAY ET AL FILING CABINET FOR PHONOGRAPH RECORDS Filed May 11, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .FJI'E April 15, 1930.

FILING CABINET Filed RAY ET AL 1,755,074

FOR PHONOGRAPH RECORDS May 11, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

Patented A r. 15, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES '1. RAY AND DONALD MCDONALD, JR., LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, AS-

SIGNORS TO B. F. AVERY &; SONS, 0F LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, A CORPORATION OF Application filed May 11,

One of the leadingpurposes of this invention isto provide means by which phonograph records of different standard sizes may be filed or stored therein, without necessitating adjustment of either side of the rec-- 0rd supporting means relatively to the other side thereof to correspondwith the dlameter of the particular record to be stored, and without necessitating theme of additlonal record engaging members to accommodate difierent'sizes of records, respectlvely. To this. end the record supporting means has both of its surfaces formed with slots to receive the corresponding edges of the records and is reversible, and the slots in one surface are of different depths from the slots 1n the other surface of said means. In practlce, the slots in one surface are of such depth and curvature that they accommodate records of one standard size (12 inch for example), while the slots in the other surface have a depth and curvature such that they accommodate a difierent standard size (10 inch for example) the depths and curvatures 1n both instances being such that the records w ll be restrained against rolling motion withln their respective slots.

Another of the important objects of the invention is to provide a filing cabinet for encasing phonograph records, whose construction-will be simple and practicable, Wlll aflord full protection for the records stored therein, will dispose the records in a staggered relationship to facilitate the wlthdrawal of any selected record without disturbing neighboring records, and Wlll lend itself to the provision of an index means such as that disclosed but not particularly claimed herein; the said index means having been made the subject of a separate applicatlon for patent filed in the United States Patent Ofiice as a division of the instant application on the th day of January 1929, and numbered serially 355,078, and by which indexing means the several records, stored in staggered relationship within the cabinet, re spectively, may be readily identlfied wlthout need for recourse to the records themselves.

With these and other objects in view, the

. invention will be more clearly understood FILING CABINET FOR PHONOGBAPH RECORDS 1927. Serial No. 190,442.

upon reference to the accom anyingdrawlngs 1n whlchFig. 1 is a topp anyiew of the cablnet with the lids open'and the cabinet partiallyfilled with records. I

F g. 2 1s an end elevation of the cabinet as shown in Fig. 1. v f j Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with the llds closed; 4

Fig. 4 is a planview of one of, the slotted bloclcs forming part of this invention.

F 1g. .5 is an end elevation of the block shown in Fig. 4c. i

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the opposite side of the block shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. .7v 's an end elevation of the block shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the blocks adjusted to receive smaller sized records.

Fig. 9 is a section through the index card holder taken on line 99.

The illustrated cabinet comprises a case which includes a body member A having closed sides 10, a base 11 and an open top, and also includes a cover or lid composed of two complementary sections 12 which are respectively hinged to the upper ends of corresponding sides of the bod member andopen in opposite directions. he construction of the cabinet and the relative dimensions of the body member, lid sections and records are such that when the lid sections are closed the records will be completely encased, with their lower portions in the body member and their upper portions in the lid sections, and when the lid sections are open the'upper portions of the records will be completely exposed. While we do not limit ourselves to the exact proportionate areas of the records exposed When'the' lid sections are open with respect to the remainder of the records, yet it will be noticed that in the illustrated embodiment of the invention approximately one-half of each record is encased in the lid sections when ,the cabinet is closed and exposed when the cabinet is open. This contributes to the facility with which any particular record may be identified, removed from and placed in, the cabinet, and to further contribute to such desirable result, the interior of the body portion of the cabinet is provided with support- 10'- ing means, now to be described, by which the records are positioned in a staggered relation.

The record supporting means within the case comprises a plurality of slotted blocks B which in the present embodiment are SIX in number, three on each side of the case. The blocks are all alike in construction with the exception that, as shown in Fig. 1 the end blocks are not slotted entirely to their ends adjacent the opposite walls of the receptacle and the recesses in the blocks to receive the index card holder hinges hereinafter referred to are positioned at difierenapolnts on the blocks.

Each of the blocks B is provided with two series of slots a and b on one side or face and two series of slots 0 and d on the opposite face.

The slots in the faces above referred to are open to an adjacent face as is clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 7.

The blocks are removably placed in the receptacle in pairs as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 8 and are held in position by strips of quarter-round 14.

The slots a extend further into the blocks than the slots 1) and when the blocks are placed in the receptacle as shown in Fig. 1 the series of slots a at either side of the receptacle are in alignment with the series of slots 6 on the opposite side of the receptacle whereby to position the records in staggered relation as clearly shown in the drawings. The extremities of the slots a and b are defined by curved walls conforming to the edges of the records.

The slots 0 and d are similar to slots a and 6 except that they are of less dimension to accommodate smaller records and it will be noted upon inspection of Fig. 7 that these slots have a straight terminal portion in order that the records can be entered into the slots.

As shown in Fig. 1 the blocks are all placed with like faces exposed which adapts the cabinet to one sized records which in this i11- stance are 12" records. As shown in Fig. 8 the blocks have been turned to present the slots 0 and (l to accommodate smaller or 10 records.

The blocks are provided with recesses 15 to accommodate the hinges of the index card holders, which holders form parts of the index means hereinbefore referred to and now to be described. 7

Hinged to the edges of the receptacle at 16 is a pair of index card holders C each comprising a panel-like structure having abase 17 and inturned edges 18 spaced from the base and defining grooves 19 which are adapted to receive the ends of index cards 20.

Each holder C is connected with the adj acent lid by a flexible member, as chain 21.

\Vhen the lids are being closed the edges thereof contact the holders and push same to the position indicated in Fig. 3 and when the lids are being opened the members pull the holders to a horizontal position as shown in Ey referring to Fig. 1 it will be noted that the holders are out of alignment the purpose of which is to position an index card opposite each record, i. e., the first record would be indexed on the right, the second on the left, etc.

From the foregoing it will be readily observed that a filing cabinet is provided which is simple in construction, neat in appearance, possesses great capacit for its size, and is so constructed that recor s can be quickly identified and while staggered to render each easily accessible for storing or removing are positively restrained at both sides against any rolling tendency.

It will be apparent that the blocks may all be positioned as in Fig. 1 thus accommodating large records all of one size or the blocks may all be turned as in Fig. 8 thus accommodating smaller records all of one size, or some of the blocks can be positioned as in Fig. 1 and others as in Fig. 8 thus adapting the cabinet to different sized records.

Having thus set forth my invention what we claim and desire to secure by U. S. Letters Patent is 1. A filing cabinet for phonograph records comprising a case, removable and reversible means within the case having slots on its 0pposite sides, of which slots those on one side of the means are formed to receive records of a different size from those on the other side of said means.

2. In a filing cabinet for phonograph records, a casing, and record supporting means including a block reversibly mounted within the casing and having two opposite faces each provided with two series of slots, the two se ries of slots in each face bein of unequal depth and alternately arrange the deeper slots in either of the opposite faces being in glignment with the deeper slots in the other ace.

3. In a filing cabinet for phonograph records, a case, a plurality of removable blocks arranged in abutting relation at each of two opposite sides of the case, each block at either side of the case being directly opposite a block at the other side of the case, each block having a plurality of slots in one face thereof, said slots terminatin in arcuate walls, the slots of each block eing in alignment with the slots in a block at the opposite side of the case, the opposite aligned slots adapted to receive the curved edges of the records, each block also having a plurality of slots in another face thereof similar to the first mentioned slots but of less depth whereby corresponding blocks at opposite sides of the case may be reversed to accommodate records of lesdss dimension than the first mentioned recor 4. The structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein the slots in each of the opposite faces of the blocks are in two series, one of greater depth than the other and I alternately ar- 5 ranged, the deeper slots at one side of the case adapted to be in alignment with the shallower slots at the other side'of the case whereby to position the records in alternate projecting relation.

1') In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

CHARLES T. RAY. DONALD MCDONALD, JR. 

